As an increasing number of state legislatures consider granting prescriptive authority to qualified psychologists (RxP), it is important for the field of professional psychology to examine our own professional community’s opinions and attitudes toward this policy area (McGrath, 2010). In addition to examining attitudes and beliefs about RxP, this study examines: (a) if exposure to RxP-related information influences one’s opinion toward RxP; (b) how psychology graduate students and psychologists utilize information related to RxP; (c) reasons for supporting/opposing RxP; and (d) differences between students’ and psychologists’ beliefs about RxP. A Bayesian Informal Argumentation approach is utilized to quantitatively measure how subjects evaluate RxP-related information in terms of believability and utility. Two-hundred and seventy-one participants gathered from New Jersey psychology doctoral programs and various professional psychology listservs completed the online survey developed for this study. Findings suggest that the psychology community remains relatively divided on the issue of RxP, with most not interested in pursuing certification for RxP and most reporting that they are not knowledgeable on the topic. Despite there being significant differences between how students and psychologists evaluate RxP information, the Bayesian Informal Argumentation approach proved to not be an ideal measure for how subjects evaluate information on this topic. However, data regarding participants’ evaluations of information and reasons to oppose/support RxP provide insight into the values and opinions of members of the psychology community. Implications for RxP stakeholders and limitations of the study are discussed.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Clinical Psychology
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Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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ETD
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ETD_8206
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electronic resource
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application/pdf
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text/xml
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1 online resource (vii, 92 p.)
Note (type = degree)
Psy.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Psychologists--New Jersey
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Brendan Graziano
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Title
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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rucore10001800001
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Rutgers University. Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
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License
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Author Agreement License
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I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.